Hope and Memory[Thorin Oakenshield Love Story]

[Chapter Fifteen]

Dwalin searched the perimeter of the cave and found nothing suspicious and figured it would be safe for the night. " There's nothin' here." Dwalin insisted and the dwarves and the hobbit's were glad to be out of the wet. Freya rung out her drenched hair and tossed it over her shoulders. Gloin dropped a bundle of wood on the floor and rubs his hands.

" Right, then. Let's get the fire started." Gloin insisted, ready to get warmed up, from the bitter coldness that was outside.

" No. No fires. Not in this place." Thorin pressed, not wanting to be discovered by anything. He headed over to where Balin was. " Get some sleep. We start at first light." The company was not to please with this idea of no heat, their clothing was drenched along with their supplies and food. They began setting up there spots up where they would rest for the night.

" We were to wait in the mountains until Gandalf joined us." Balin stated, remembering the wizards orders. Freya listened in as the older dwarf tried to reason with the prince. " That was the plan."

" Plans change." Thorin pointed out as he turned away from the older dwarf, who didn't think this was a good idea. " Bofur, take the first watch." Bofur sighed but agreed. The dwarves were all settling in their spots to get some rest, Freya noticed her cousin was already fast asleep. She looked around and saw Thorin was sound asleep, or at-least she thought he was, she did another scan of the area and found Bofur still up.

The hobbit couldn't sleep and carried her book, being careful not to wake the others. Bofur looked at her as she sat down beside him. " You should get some sleep lass, we got a long ways to go still. "

" I couldn't sleep, and I thought you could use some company." The hobbit said with a smile. Bofur smiled to her and noticed her book, she always seemed to carry it with her. Thorin slightly opened his eyes, listening to the two of them talking. Bofur would ask the hobbit all sorts of questions about what got her interested in maps and places of Middle-Earth and where she would want to see first.

As it got later in the night the woman passed out, propped up against the cave wall, with her book against her chest. Thorin had got up sometime in the night to stretch his legs. He went outside the cave to get some fresh air. He came back in and walked passed the woman only to stop and took a few steps back. He crouched down and removed the book from her hands and placed it in her bag and pulled out her dry cloak and covered her up, to keep her warm.

He went back over to his spot and went back to sleep. Not long after he went back to sleep. Bilbo had been pretending to be sleeping, stealthily opened his eyes and looked around. Seeing that no one was watching, he quietly rolls up his blankets and packs his things. He grabbed his walking stick, and starts tiptoeing over the sleeping dwarves. He stopped when he saw his sleeping cousin and was hesitant to leave at first, and wanted to wake her, but he knew she would try to convince him to stay and he no longer wanted to be here.

Bilbo continues to walk passed her when Bofur who is still awake, sees the hobbit trying to leave. " Where do you think you're going?" Bofur questioned. Bilbo stopped in his tracks and turned to face the dwarf.

" Back to Rivendell." Bilbo said in a bitter tone. Bofur jumped up from his spot and tries to stop him. They whisper so they don't wake the others.

" No, no, you can't turn back now, eh? You're part of the company. You're one of us. " Bofur insisted. The hobbit half smiled. Bofur had accepted both hobbit's as part of the company and also his friends, which was going to make it harder for him to say goodbye to this dwarf.

" I'm not, though, am I?" Bilbo sighed as he looked Bofur in the eyes. " Thorin said I should never have come and he was right. I'm not a Took. I'm a Baggins." The hobbit insisted as he looked at the ground, shaking his head. Thorin opened his eyes starring at the cave ceiling as he listened to Bofur and Bilbo's exchange words.

" I don't know what I was thinking. I should never have run out my door." Bilbo stated

" You're homesick. I understand. What about your cousin? Your not just going to leave her here, without telling her?" Bofur insisted to the hobbit. Bilbo glanced at his sound asleep cousin. He couldn't bare to leave her behind, but he knew her answer. She wasn't going to abandon these dwarves; not now.

" No, you don't! You don't understand. None of you do. You're dwarves!" Bilbo snapped in a whisper " Freya, she wouldn't leave even if I begged her. She's the adventures one, not me, and you're used to this life. To living on the road, never settling in one place, not belonging anywhere! " The hobbit snapped harshly at the dwarf, who look hurt by this and Bilbo realized he shouldn't have gone on like this.

" Oh, I am sorry. I didn't--" Bilbo went on, knowing it was too late to take back his words and he clears his throat, wishing he didn't say the things he did.

" No, you're right. " Bofur admitted as he glanced at his kin that were snoring, unaware of what was going on. " We don't belong anywhere." Bofur muttered. Thorin let out a sigh as he realized he might have been too hard on these two hobbits when they started this quest to help them take back their homeland.

" I wish you all the luck in the world. I really do." Bofur stated, not mad that the hobbit wanted to leave as half heartedly smiled to his friend that he would hope to one day meet again.

" Look after Freya, for me. Make sure she doesn't get into to much trouble." Bilbo stated in a low chuckle Bofur nodded. The two of them patted each other on the shoulder saying goodbye and the hobbit started to make his way towards the cave entrance.

" What's that?" Bofur asked in a confused voice. A bright blue glowing came from inside the sheath. Bilbo slowly pulled it out part way and his face filled with fear when he knew what was near. Freya squinted her eyes from the brightness that was coming from her sword and sat up looking at her case that was glowing blue.

Thorin raises his head as he hears strange machinery noises and sees cracks form in the sand on the floor of the cave. " Wake up. Wake up!" Before anyone can react, the floor of the cave collapses downwards, making the dwarves and the two hobbits fall down into the chute.